7 year jail term for collecting terror funds

New Delhi: Collecting funds meant for terror
activities must entail a punishment of at least seven years
imprisonment and a stiff fine of upto Rs 10 crore should be
slapped on companies, societies or trusts found to be involved
in criminal activities, a Parliamentary panel has recommended.

The Standing Committee on Home Affairs has also proposed
that government ban period on unlawful organisations should be
increased from two to five years and forfeiture of properties
relating to offence of counterfeiting through amendments in
the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The Committee felt that the minimum punishment for
raising funds for terrorist acts by "an organisation or gang
should be increased to seven years" from existing five years.
The Ministry of Home Affairs mooted a new provision to
penalise offences by companies, societies or trusts in the
UAPA and "proposed to impose to a minimum fine of Rs five
crore which may extend to Rs 10 crore for offences under the
Act". The suggestion was adopted without any change by the
Committee.

The Ministry suggested that the proposed increase in ban
period of unlawful associations would help in reducing cost
and proper collection of data related to their activities.

"This (increase) will give ample time to properly collect
and compile data, intelligence inputs, status of various cases
filed in the court, status of sanction obtained by the police
from the State Government, etc. This will further facilitate
to reduce the cost of administering the ban.

"Accordingly, it is proposed to amend Section (6)
suitably to enhance the period of ban from existing 2 years to
5 years," the Ministry told the Committee which accepted the
proposal.
During the meeting, one of the members suggested that the
ban period be increased to seven years but this was not
accepted by the MHA.